President Donald Trump is "following the lead of his team" with his decision to ban transgender Americans from serving in the military, former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, who chaired who the House Intelligence Committee, told Newsmax TV on Wednesday.

"I'm assuming the president is acting on the recommendation of his Secretary of Defense Gen. [James] Mattis," Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican, told Newsmax's J.D. Hayworth.

"[He's following] the general, and those types of individuals, in terms of what they believe they need to have as an effective fighting force that is focused on fighting and winning wars. And so the president is following the lead of his team.

"He made it very clear early on in this administration that he was going to allow his generals and Secretary of Defense Mattis to set the tone and the tenet for not only how they fight wars, but also for how they manage and run the Pentagon."

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Trump's announcement did not say what would happen to transgender people already in the military.

At the Pentagon, Mattis' staffers appeared to have been caught unaware by Trump's tweets.

A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment on whether transgender people already serving in the military will be ousted. The new directive drew angry responses from groups that represent transgender service members.

Transgender service members have been able to serve openly in the military since last Oct. 1, when former Defense Secretary Ash Carter ended the ban, declaring it the right thing to do.

President Donald Trump is "following the lead of his team" with his decision to ban transgender Americans from serving in the military, former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, who chaired who the House Intelligence Committee, told Newsmax TV on Wednesday.